Terror, Destruction and Death

A word of warning before we get to today's pictures. Some of the images below depict dead bodies.

From what I can gather, these pictures were taken, or at least collected, by Mr. Ross, the author of the book they were found in. The envelope bears his name, and the handwriting on the photos seems to match up with the inscription in the book (it was signed, dated 1947).

Ross might have been part of a relief effort that took place in May 1902 in Martinique, and in particular St. Pierre. Mount Pelée, a stratovolcano, erupted in early May, and eventually killed 30,000 people. It is considered the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century.

First picture is the envelope the pictures were found in, and the book "Historical Background of the Panama Canal" by Walter G. Ross, 1947:

Blueprint of the relief ship, the S.S. Dixie. You can read Ross' name at the lower left.
On the reverse:

These are stunning; perhaps there is a historical society in Martinique that would like to have them.Given how irascible Ma Nature has been this year - in Haiti, Chile, China, and now, Iceland - this is also a very timely find.

What a great find! A personalized account of a rather historical event. Those don't pop up often. And I'm glad they found their way to you (who will share them) rather than someone who would just discard them without seeing their historical value.

this piqued my curiosity and I looked up the book and Mr. Ross. He was an engineer on the Panama Canal, a soldier in the Philippines during the Spanish American War who later established a foundation to promote improvements in medical research and health care. His overall goal was to "alleviate human suffering". http://www6.miami.edu/ummedicine-magazine/summer2001/alumni.html